Ruth Lloyd wakes up around 7 a.m. on other mornings like clockwork, but on Sunday mornings she and husband, Alan, have all seven of their children dressed and ready to attend Mass by then.

"Both my husband and I take our faith so seriously," said Lloyd, a member of the Holy Cross Traditional Catholic Church.

Today is Easter, which for Christians marks the day that Jesus arose from the dead, but preparations for the holiday began weeks ago. Improvements to the church as well as personal sacrifices have been made for the entire season of Lent, the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.

There are many members of the Holy Cross Traditional Catholic Church who take part in preparing the church for Holy Week, and because most members do a little something, a big impact is made in the appearance of the church.

Dave and Teresa Dube have been members of Holy Cross for 26 years and say they humbly help out wherever there is need.

Dave is the church's sacristan, which means he gets everything done the priest needs in order to offer Mass. He recently has done some repair work on the altar, needed after years of use.

Teresa is one of many who helped to "deep clean" the church in preparation for Holy Week.

Another contribution she regularly makes is to iron the cloths used for Mass.

Because the altar is under repair, all the cloths have been striped, which equates to about three hours of ironing before today's Mass.

Those who attend Holy Cross on North Hoback make significant changes to daily activities during Holy Week -- the week prior to Easter Sunday.

One of the practices of traditional Catholics at Holy Cross during Lent is to eat meat only once a day. Lloyd says the committment is really much harder than one might think: meals without meat, for example, must not include any meat products whatsoever. This rule is only for those 21 years in age and older.

Participating in this practice is way of making a sacrifice on a personal level.

"It strengthens our spiritual muscles," Lloyd said.

"I think of it the same way a runner thinks of doing his running," she said. "He wouldn't try to run a marathon without exercising."

Giving up meat for all meals but one is just one way to make yourself strong and able to fight spiritual battles when they come to you, Lloyd said.

K'Lynn House, 13, attends Holy Cross with her mother, Connie, who has raised her five daughters in traditional Catholic beliefs.

"I believe it is the true faith," K'Lynn said of her religion.

K'Lynn said that making sacrifices like not eating meat on Fridays and giving up something during Lent are ways to "remember what happened to our Lord and what he did for us to help us."

This year K'Lynn has sacrificed all sweets for the period of Lent.

This past Friday is recognized as Good Friday in many churches. Lloyd said the Good Friday service is her favorite of the entire year.

"That day, for me, is my favorite religious day," she said. "It is somber, but joyous because it is the day that Jesus died, but also the day he won our salvation."

The Lloyd family has spent the whole week reflecting on their beliefs and taking time to remember the significance of Easter.

"This week isn't the time to get into the thrill of Easter," Lloyd said.

The family doesn't listen to the radio or watch television as much as they usually do, and the children don't eat any candy, she said. They don't really start the "fun" of Easter, such as dying the eggs, until Saturday.

Statues in the church are covered with purple cloths for Holy Week, which has been the practice for centuries, the Rev. Martin Skierka said.

"The idea is that our attention is turned toward the passion and suffering of our Lord," he said.

Purple is the significant color in many churches this time of year, and it is seen on the altar and even made part of the priest's dress.

Skierka said this is because it shows penitence.

Like the Dube, House and Lloyd families, those who attend a traditional Catholic church practice the rules and rituals prior to the second Vatican council (1962).

To a nonmember, one of the most noticeable differences between this church and others, including other nontraditional Catholic churches, involves women wearing a hat or a chapel veil. Skierka said that it was St. Paul who said women should have their heads covered.

For Holy Cross member Beth Ries, it is not only a sign of respect for the Blessed Sacrament, but also a way to focus on the Mass and not the hairstyles and/or new hair colors of their neighbors, she said.

Another unique aspect of this small historic church is that Mass is spoken in Latin.

The Sunday before Easter, known as Palm Sunday, the entire service was held in Latin and there was no sermon given because the ceremony was so long. However, the rest of the year, the sermon is always given in English.

Many members bring their missal, which offers the words in Latin and English.

Mass at Holy Cross functions unfold with precision, with practices such as the priest facing the tabernacle at the altar instead of the congregation. He makes no spontaneous comments on his own, but recites exactly the same prayer used by priests for centuries.

"All of our ceremonies are reminders of why we practice our faith," Connie said. "The more we are reminded, the better Catholics we can be."

Lloyd says the average age of the 100 people who attend Holy Cross is around 30. In more than 20 years, Skierka said, he hasn't seen a big influx or exit of church goers.

Many families of this faith head to Great Falls to attend Immaculate Heart of Mary in Black Eagle this weekend for much more elaborate ceremonies.

Skierka is based out of Black Eagle, but serves in many other communities throughout Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Canada.